


Mahal Kita

by babywarg (morphaileffect)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Comedy, Filipino, Fluff, Foreign Language, Languages, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 05:25:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17176742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphaileffect/pseuds/babywarg
Summary: Words are magic. While reading up on Philippine incantations, Stephen introduces Tony to a few of the many words used in the country's love spells.





	Mahal Kita

**Author's Note:**

> It might have been obvious from some past non-Ironstrange-related posts on [my Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/babywarg) that I’m a tiny bit of a language geek. I am not exactly very GOOD at languages, but I love them.
> 
> Taking advantage of that now to geek out on Philippine languages - my home turf. Inspired by a brief convo with [elias on twitter](https://twitter.com/earthsgayest/).

_“Mahal kita.”_

Stephen would occasionally mutter things to himself from the books he was reading. Sometimes it was for a spell, and a subtle glow or a flash of light or an ominous rumbling would emerge from his corner of the room.

Tony had learned to tune it out. Tune it all out.

Except for this one.

There were no glows, flashes or rumblings, but this one somehow made him snap to attention.

“What?” Tony asked, from his snug library armchair. He turned off his tablet and the tech journal he’d been reading on it on 3D display. He turned his full attention to Stephen.

Stephen, standing on one of the protruding platforms on the second floor of the Sanctum’s library, blinked down at him.

“What?” Stephen said back at him. “I was just reading aloud.”

“Yeah I know that.” It wasn’t a spell. Or was it? It was fascinating to Tony, though he wasn’t sure exactly why. “What’s that you’re reading?”

Stephen glanced back at the leather-bound book floating in front of him. It wasn’t too old for him to hold, lest his shaking hands drop it - but he still preferred to read most books by levitation. It was just neater.

“Oh…this? It’s an etymology of Filipino incantations. Fascinating read.”

“Okay. What was that you just said?” Tony was burning with curiosity. The words had done something to him; he was determined to find out what.

“Er…‘I love you.’ In Tagalog.”

A tiny butterfly fluttered inside Tony’s stomach. He chose to ignore it in favor of learning more about the matter.

“Tagalog? I thought you said it was a book on Filipino spells.”

Stephen grumbled thoughtfully. “It’s a somewhat lengthy explanation. Are you up for it?”

“Absolutely.” The word slipped from Tony’s tongue. That was different. He didn’t usually enjoy Stephen going on and on about magic, the way he knew Stephen didn’t enjoy him going on and on about tech stuff. They tolerated it in each other, but that just wasn’t their point of connection.

It just wasn’t like him.

But this one, he genuinely, really wanted to know.

So Stephen took him at his word, and began:

“I’m sure you already know that 'Filipino’ has to do with the Philippines. But I don’t know if you know that Filipino as a language only emerged recently - around 1935 - as a political effort to consolidate different language groups.* It was, in a way, an effort to create a spellcasting language that everyone could use. However, it complicated matters that the Philippines is an island nation, composed of many different tribes, each with its own unique ethno-linguistic group, and Tagalog is just one of them.” He shut the floating book, addressed Tony directly. “You remember, I once said different language groups give birth to different spell syntaxes?”

“Yep,” Tony answered readily. (He did not, in fact, remember. But he was impatient and didn’t want to argue.)

“Right,” Stephen muttered, smiling knowingly. He walked slowly, unhurriedly, to the top of the stairs. “What I said was, in brief: spells in the same dialect generally have the same effect - but spells in different languages have different effects, all of which are lost when a translation is attempted. The _intent_ behind the words matter, and most language groups have the same intent across different dialects. So, making spells out of a mishmash of languages would necessitate bringing together similar _intent_.”

As he walked, he magicked the book he was reading back into its designated shelf. He didn’t need to refer to it, for the time being. He made a mental note to pick it up again later…perhaps after this conversation.

“There are many ways to say the same thing. As with other languages, small inflections subtly reflect differences in meaning and stature. _'Mahal kita’_ would be the less formal way of saying _'Ikaw ay mahal ko.’_ Take note also that _'mahal’_ ** is even less formal than the Tagalog _'ibig’_ \- which means both 'love’ and 'like.’ How can something that means both 'love’ and 'like’ be even more formal than something that exclusively means 'love’***? It’s a mystery.”

Stephen’s eyes were shining. They usually did, while he was nerding out about magic stuff. Tony had become used to ignoring it.

But it was difficult to ignore it, this time, somehow.

Everything about Stephen seemed to shine, not just his eyes. From that time when he said those words. Those magic words.

“Now,” Stephen cluelessly continued, “different languages have different ways of expressing the same sentiment. But if you are _cognitive_ of the meanings behind these sentiments, you would be able to access the original intent.” He squinted as he searched his memories. “So you can distinguish between the many different ways of saying the same thing. To wit, _'Mahal kita’_ …and _'Palangga ta ikaw’_ … _'Ashemek ta ka’_ … _'Ta ama yo contigo’_ …and the like, they mean the same thing, and yet, not exactly.”

Oh, wow.

Even if they weren’t spells, those words definitely had an effect on Tony.

A most pronounced, profound effect.

It made Tony rise from his chair, an undeniable stirring in his stomach, in his groin, that was definitely not just butterflies.

“Wait a minute…are we talking about love spells?” Tony set aside his tablet. “We’re talking about the 'original intent’ behind love spells?”

That question - and Tony’s predatory stance on top of it - seemed to take Stephen aback.

“I…” Stephen cleared his throat. “I suppose…yes.”

In a fit of playfulness, Tony laid a hand on his chest.

“Are you hitting on me, Mr. Strange? If that’s your intent, it’s working.”

Stephen blushed. Fiercely. With no mercy.

If it was a spell, it was definitely something he had not intended to cast.

“I, uh…” He cleared his throat. Tony loved whenever he did that. He watched that precious Adam’s apple swiftly bobbing up and down, that brilliant red spreading across his elegant cheekbones. “I’m just telling you about what I read, Mr. Stark. You can take it however you want.”

Tony smirked.

“See how I understand it is this,” Tony said, as he made his way up the stairs to the library’s second floor platforms. “The Philippines, being an island nation, has a lot of languages. Each language has its own way of saying 'I love you.’ Each language has its way of capturing you so you have no escape.”

Stephen was about to protest. His Adam’s apple said it. Tony had his eye on that damn thing all the while. It shuddered, and stayed in place.

Stephen shuddered, and stayed in place, watching Tony approach.

“What I want,” Tony said, softly, in a low, husky voice, when he was finally near enough, gaze fixed this time on Stephen’s mesmerizing eyes, “is for you to tell me the way of saying it that you like the most.”

If this had all been an elaborate spell, Stephen had been unaware of it.

And, at the same time, he was powerless to put an end to it.

Not that he would want to, of course.

His face was bright red, his breathing ragged, everything about him so viciously turned on, as he uttered _“Gihigugma ti–”_

But just then, Tony Stark shut him up, by smushing their lips together.

And soon, their tongues.

And soon, he was flinging their tattered self-control out the window.

If Stephen had been starting a love spell, he didn’t finish it. He didn’t have to.

It had been cast on both him and Tony a long time ago.

**Author's Note:**

> * Bit of a touchy subject, and fic is not the right place to debate it. However, wanted to explore the idea that Pres. Manuel Quezon (interesting figure, central to an [upcoming movie](https://www.filmgeekguy.com/2018/09/manuel-quezon-movie-jerrold-tarog-teaser.html) which i am excited for and hope international Netflix will pick up, have fun researching this dude!) had primarily intended to make a unified spellcasting language in 1935. That was the reason for it, yep.
> 
> ** Since many Philippine languages are influenced by non-Philippine languages, there’s some speculation that “mahal” was derived from the Persian word meaning “home/abode/palace/resting place.” Therefore, the original context of “mahal kita” might have been “you are where I rest.”
> 
> 100% not sure about this, but fun to think about, aye? :D
> 
> *** “Mahal” in Tagalog actually also means “expensive” or “dear (in every sense of the word)”. But that probably wasn’t mentioned in the book Stephen was reading. Or it was a spell warning he hadn’t gotten around to reading yet :D


End file.
